Jesse Bethea

Columbus

Freelance Reporter at Columbus Underground

Journalist, author, producer, gentleman adventurer. @ColsUnderground & @theohiochannel. My first novel/other writing here: https://t.co/UqmVvFHUqt

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Articles

Sanctuary Night Agrees to Court Order

6 days ago | columbusunderground.com | Jesse Bethea

On Wednesday, the office of Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein and Sanctuary Night—a Franklinton drop-in center serving victims of sex trafficking—agreed to a municipal court order aimed at mitigating the alleged illegal activities and nuisance behaviors at the center. Last week, Klein sued the center, alleging that emergency services have been called to Sanctuary Night more than 200 times since it opened in 2022.
City Sues Franklinton Drop-in Center

1 week ago | columbusunderground.com | Jesse Bethea

On Wednesday, the office of Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein filed a lawsuit against Sanctuary Night, a Westside drop-in center for victims of sex trafficking, alleging the center has a history of tolerating drug use, prostitution and other illegal activities on its property at 1195 Sullivant Avenue. The center has long been a source of simmering frustration among Franklinton residents, and this move by Klein follows a series of neighborhood complaints and contentious public meetings.
'Hands Off': Observations From A Protest

1 month ago | columbusunderground.com | Jesse Bethea

Eavesdropping on nearly any conversation in nearly any public space in Columbus this week, one topic was inevitably touched upon. What are your plans for the big protest? Ohio State students—unsettled by the news that five fellow students had their visas revoked by the Department of Homeland Security—debated whether to abandon a Saturday anime marathon and go down to the Statehouse. Westside liberals fretted about how the rain might impact turnout.
Columbus Sues Trump, DOGE, Over Tree Money

1 month ago | columbusunderground.com | Jesse Bethea

Columbus has joined a new lawsuit against the Trump Administration and the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) for failing to reimburse the city for almost $400,000 spent on planting trees in disadvantaged neighborhoods.
AEP Representatives Speak On Franklinton Tree Removals

2 months ago | columbusunderground.com | Jesse Bethea

Representatives from American Electric Power (AEP) appeared at a meeting of the Franklinton Area Neighbors civic association last Wednesday to talk through the new policies which led to the removal of several trees on Sullivant Avenue late last year. AEP external affairs manager Michael LaScola opened the utility’s portion of the at-times contentious neighborhood meeting with an apology. “We really do want to be good neighbors,” said LaScola. “I’m sorry for what happened here.
Daisy’s Way: The Wild and Tragic Career of Ohio’s First Black Woman Lawyer—Part 3 - Columbus Underground

2 months ago | columbusunderground.com | Jesse Bethea

At about eight in the morning on July 6, 1927, Columbus police detectives Kaffits and Gaulke learned of an overnight shooting on Grove Street. After driving to the East Side and discovering that Leon Knight had shot his mother in law and her son, the two cops went to Priscilla Dimery’s house on Mt. Vernon Avenue to find Abraham Small—a known associate of Knight’s. No one was in the house, so Kaffits and Gaulke broke in and quickly searched the residence for Knight.
Daisy’s Way: The Wild and Tragic Career of Ohio’s First Black Woman Lawyer — Part 1 - Columbus Underground

Feb 1, 2025 | columbusunderground.com | Jesse Bethea

In the early morning hours of July 6, 1927, a burst of gunfire erupted over the East Side of Columbus. When the shooting was over, a Black woman named Mary Hill and her son Elias both lay bloody and severely wounded inside their home at 609 Grove Street. The shooter was Mary Hill’s own son-in-law, a Black man named Leon Knight, who quickly fled the scene. Leon Knight would soon vanish from Columbus without a trace.
Opinion: Whine Kampf

Nov 26, 2024 | columbusunderground.com | Jesse Bethea

Two weeks ago, Columbus was confronted with disturbing videos and photographs from the Short North of red-masked, black-clad neo-Nazis marching down High Street waving swastika flags. The imagery appeared—at least briefly—to shock the city out of its complacency about the rise and resilience of hate groups in Ohio, and the presence of Nazis and their sycophants in our midst.
Opinion: Wrongs and Rights of First Refusal

Sep 29, 2024 | columbusunderground.com | Jesse Bethea

For the most part, reporting and commentary regarding the slow-motion collapse of the Columbus City Schools Board of Education has focused exclusively on the dystopian memo authored by board member Brandon Simmons. More recently, public focus has turned to the secretly recorded phone calls between Simmons, fellow member Jennifer Adair, and board vice president Tina Pierce.
Opinion: The School Board Memo Was a Group Project

Sep 23, 2024 | columbusunderground.com | Jesse Bethea

It would be easy—and indeed, quite funny—to blame the ongoing Columbus City Schools Board of Education building closure fiasco on the infamous memo written by board member Brandon Simmons. In fact, by all outward appearances, that’s exactly what the school board intends to do.